Chapter 2: Mariko's Vow

Four months after the attack Mari found herself in the local orphanage, she volunteered there as often as her schedule allowed, mainly so she could spend time with the twins. When she first started coming the workers had tried to put her with the older children but Mari had made it known that she was there for two children in particular. Naruto and Noriko.

While a bit surprised at first the workers had quickly come to accept it and left her to her own devices with the twins. It was as Mari had suspected months ago, they did the bare minimum to care for Naruto and Noriko. It made Mari's blood boil to see the calloused way her cousin's children were treated, but she held her tongue to keep from being barred from seeing them all together. The Old Man had made a valid point that day in his office. She had no clue how to care for children, so she took to observing the caretakers. With the other children they were calm and patient, if a little aloof in a clear attempt not to get too attached, after all, most of these children were either going to be adopted or go off to become ninja, it wouldn't do well to become too attached.

From the caretaker in the nursery who dealt directly with infants Mari learned the basics of caring for babies so whenever she came Noriko and Naruto's care was pretty much left in her hands.

"There's my two favorite little chicklings!" she grinned down into the crib that the twins shared.

The two began to coo and give her gummy smiles. They were happy babies despite everything and for that Mari was glad.

She made a shadow clone who changed and prepared them for the day while she went about making their bottles. After that, one fed Naruto, while the other fed Noriko. Once they were taken care of Mari took them outside to enjoy the nice day. Spring was close and the days were becoming warmer and filled with life again.

Outside she laid down a blanket before putting both of them on their tummies. Noriko, a bit smaller than Naruto, seemed to be working harder on pushing herself up onto her arms. The girl constantly seemed to be attempting to gain a new form of mobility. It was fun to watch. Naruto, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to just lounge around and smile happily at those around him.

"Mari…"

Mari glanced up from the babies. Pakkun was staring at her with his ever present bored expression. She sighed in resignation.

"Kakashi got a mission again, didn't he?" she asked though she already knew the answer.

Pakkun pawed at his ear. "It was a last minute mission assigned by the Hokage himself. There wasn't much choice."

Mari reached out and put Noriko on her back. "I know that Pakkun. He's an ANBU, he doesn't get to pick and choose what missions to take, I just…never mind…"

Pakkun stared at her for a moment. She was smiling at the two pups in front of her but he noticed the sad look in her eyes. Since joining the ANBU Kakashi and Mari's relationship had been strained in a way it never had before. It was a bit sad to see.

He offered up his paw to her. "You can touch my paw if it'll make you feel better."

Mari gave the pug a small grin but shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks. Go tell Kakashi his message was received and understood. I guess I'll see him when I see him."

"Right…" Pakkun jumped away into the trees.

Mari watched him go before turning her attention back to the twins who were looking up at her with wide eyes. Naruto's were settling into the same vibrant blue of Minato's while Noriko's were darkening to almost the same hue as Kushina's violet eyes. Mari had also noticed that Naruto had seemed to inherit the same round face that Kushina had as a child while Noriko seemed to be favoring more of Minato's shape. If this continued on Mari suspected that Naruto would look more like Kushina with Minato's coloring while Noriko would look a bit more like Minato with Kushina's coloring.

"You two are going to be heartbreakers one day. I can just feel it." She murmured down to the babies.

They just grinned and drooled at her.

XxX

Three days later Mari and her team were walking at a leisurely pace back to the village after a fairly boring mission. Daichi looked down at Mari.

"So how are the twins doing?"

Mari couldn't bite back her grin. "They're doing well actually. I think Nori may be kind of advanced for her age. She seems to be hitting her milestones early."

"What about Naruto?" Rei asked as the village gates came into view.

"He seems to be going at a more natural rate, but god the smile on him, it's infectious. I don't know how anyone can look at him and not melt." Mari gushed.

Daichi chuckled on the other side of her. "Man, you sound more and more like a bragging mom every time you talk about them."

"Well someone should. And I'm more like an overzealous big sister." Mari corrected him as they walked through the gates.

She was so focused on their conversation that she completely missed the man leaning up against the guard station until he called out to her. Her good mood instantly soured.

"Jiraiya." She greeted him coldly in detachment. They hadn't spoken since that day in the hospital.

Jiraiya gave his head a jerk. "We need to talk. Now."

Mari really wanted to say no. To tell him that she never wanted to speak to him again, but there was something in his eyes. A seriousness that she'd never seen before. She told her teammates goodbye then followed after him. They walked in silence through the village before stopping on a bridge that overlooked one of Konoha's many lakes. Mari hopped up onto the railing with her legs dangling towards the water with her back turned to Jiraiya.

"I wanted you to hear this from me before it spreads through the village." Jiraiya started in a solemn voice. He leaned his elbows against the railing beside Mari, eyes directed out to the water. "Orochimaru has defected from the village. He's now considered a missing-nin of the highest and most dangerous caliber."

Mari jerked her head to Jiraiya. "W-w-what? Y-y-you're kidding!"

Jiraiya shook his head. "I'm not Mari. It was discovered that he's been performing human experiments on citizens of the Leaf and other outlying villages. Infants, children, shinobi, and civilians alike. The Old Man himself went to apprehend him but…well he got the upper hand."

'More like the Old Man probably let him get away.' Mari mused silently as she looked down at her reflection. 'Taking down his student would've been like taking down one of his own kids…nearly impossible…'

That must've been the mission Kakashi had gotten last notice that had forced him to cancel their plans. She wondered if he was all right. While she'd always favored Orochimaru out of her two pseudo-uncles she'd never entertained the notion that he was anything but shrewd and mercifulness when it came to the ways of being a shinobi. He'd cut everyone down who'd dared stand in the way of his goals.

She also felt the familiar pang of sadness in her chest. There was another name to add to the list of people she loved who ended up leaving her behind. Was there something wrong with her? First, her father, who couldn't even be bothered enough to stick around until she was born to leave. Then her Uncle Nawaki and Dan, the closest thing to a father she'd ever hoped to have, both casualties of the war that would eventually steal her mother away from her, even though she'd bore no psychical injuries. And deep down she knew she shouldn't but there was a part of her that resented Kushina for her sacrifice to the village, why couldn't she have stayed, for her and the twins, weren't they enough? And now her Uncle Ochi was gone. Forever. If they were ever to meet again it would be as enemies, and one of them would die.

"I know this is a lot to take in right now and I don't mean to add to this, but I also wanted to tell you that I'm leaving the village on a long-term mission." Jiraiya continued on. "I don't know when I'll be back."

"I can't -,"

"I don't need to hear your excuses okay Jiraiya? Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate it." Mari swung her legs around and jumped down to the bridge. "Now if we're done here I have places to be, showers to take, and a bed to see."

A strange look entered Jiraiya's eyes – Mari didn't know what it meant, and at this point, she didn't care either. She began to walk home giving him a casual wave over her shoulder without bothering to look back.

"See ya when I see ya. Good luck on your peeping, perv."

In her much too quiet house, Mari did just as she'd told Jiraiya she would. A nice long shower was always a treat after a mission, no matter how short or long it was. After redressing in a pair of lounge shorts and a tank top she sat on her bed and began brushing out her hair. Her eyes randomly drifted around her room before landing on a framed picture sitting on her dresser across the room.

Setting her brush down she walked over and picked it up. It was an old picture from her childhood before death and abandonment became the norm. She was a smiling pigtailed toddler in her mother's arms, cheesing it up for whoever was taking the picture. Tsunade was smiling down at her with a softness that not many knew the famed Slug Princess was capable of. Jiraiya was grinning at the camera flashing a victory sign on the left of Tsunade, while Orochimaru stood to her right with his typical smug little smirk. It wasn't a conventional family by any means, but they were Mari's, and she'd loved each of them, despite their various flaws.

Without thinking she threw the picture against the wall as hard as she could. There was a small flicker of satisfaction at the sound of the glass shattering. With one swipe of her arm, she knocked all of the other trinkets and photos from her childhood off of the dresser. A broken toad figurine and a tiny geisha doll stared up at her. Once they'd been gifts, now they were just reminders of how little she really mattered.

Her legs gave way and she tumbled to the floor in a sob. She hugged her knees to her chest and let go for the first time in a long time. When she finally got a hold of herself again Mari suddenly couldn't bear to stay in the house anymore. She threw a jacket over her tank top and slipped into a pair of sandals before leaving as fast as she could.

Outside in the street, she took in a deep breath of night air and felt some of the pressure lift off her chest. She felt a little better.

With her arms wrapped around herself, she began to walk with no destination in mind. It was just after midnight so the streets were practically empty. And Mari was glad. If any of her friends had been out and spotted her they'd want to talk, and the one thing Mari did not want to do right now was talk.

When she stopped walking she realized she was outside of the orphanage, and that's when the desire to see Naruto and Noriko hit her. No, not desire, need, she needed to see them.

Breaking into the orphanage was child's play. She should probably drop some hints to the Old Man about their nonexistent security because this was downright ridiculous. And getting into the twins room, separated from all the others, was even easier. She pushed aside the bit of anger that sparked as she crossed the room to the crib. Inside Naruto and Noriko were sleeping peacefully. Little Noriko was curled up against her brother's side with her hand fisting the face of his frog jumper.

Quietly Mari sat on the floor in front of the crib drawing her legs up to her chest.

'People come and people go, that's the way of life. I won't close off my heart in some sort of misguided effort to protect it.' Mari thought as she watched the twins. 'I'll fill my life with people and I'll value the time that we have together. But no matter what, I vow that I will not abandon these babies. Even if, for some reason, I can't take them in, I'll always be there for them, in whatever way I can.'

"Forever." She whispered to the sleeping babes, sealing her promise.

XxX

Mari stayed with the twins for the majority of the night before slipping out just after four in the morning. She really didn't want to think about the consequences she'd face if she got caught. They were probably the kind that a cheeky smile and smart-assed comment wouldn't be able to save her from.

Instead of going home though she headed up atop the stone faces and made herself comfortable on her great-grandfather's head. She stayed up there long enough to watch the sunrise and for the light to spread to every corner of the village. It made her smile a little bit. Her village had been through numerous perils and hardships, and yet here it still stood greeting another day. And just like the other shinobi of the Leaf, she'd do everything in her power to assure that it stood to see many more.

Feeling lighter Mari finally decided to head back home. She had the day off so she'd be free to clean up the aftermath of her little temper tantrum and maybe even catch a few hours of sleep before one of her meddling friends came looking for her.

She took to the roofs to avoid the people that were slowly filling the streets. When she landed on her own roof she recognized the chakra in her room immediately. She let out a long sigh before slipping in through the open window that she knew hadn't been open when she left.

Kakashi was lounging on her bed with his arms crossed behind his head with his one visible eye closed. Mari took her jacket off, noticing immediately that all of the things she'd broken in her rage were gone. As she silently put her jacket and sandals into her closet she idly wondered what he'd done with them. Her eyes drifted to her dresser.

Sitting alone was one picture frame with the glass gone. Mari picked it up carefully. Ten-year-old Mari was hamming it up for the camera with one of her arms thrown across Kakashi's shoulders. Though only his eyes were visible, and to anyone else he looked void of any emotion, Mari knew her friend's body language well enough to see that he was actually relaxed and even a little pleased, though he was trying to hide it. Kushina had taken it the day they were officially made chunin. Mari placed it back down with the same care as she smiled at the memory, that had been a good day. She turned back to the silver haired boy in her bed who hadn't moved a muscle nor acknowledge her at all.

"So I see you've made yourself at home." She quipped as she crawled into the empty space beside him.

"This is one of the few places Guy won't follow me into. Not since the incident." He reminded her.

Mari's face burned at the memory of Guy bursting into her house to challenge Kakashi, only to find her fresh out of the shower. The Green Beast of Konoha had turned into a whimpering puppy when faced with the force of Mari's rage and embarrassment. Kakashi, who was used to seeing Mari in varying stages of undress, had found the entire situation hilarious. At least until Mari turned her ire on him.

"Please, do me a favor and never mention that again. Ever." Mari told him as she laid her head against his shoulder. She was quiet for a moment before speaking. "Jiraiya told me about Unc – Orochimaru yesterday when I returned. I assume that was the mission you were called away on, right?"

Kakashi remained silent and Mari interpreted his silence as confirmation. She curled up against him closer, resting one of her hands on his chest where his heart beat, strong and steady.

"You're okay?" she asked softly.

"I'm fine." He assured her. His own hand moved up to join hers. "You should get some sleep before Rei and Kurenai show up to do whatever it is you three do."

"Just the normal girl things you know," Mari said with a casual shrug of her shoulders. "Braid each other's hair, paint our nails, practice kissing."

"Yeah right, like you'd actually let them braid your hair."

I am really sorry about the brief little hiatus. Life has gotten hectic for myself and my longtime beta. I've since decided to go unbeta'd which is a little scary, to be honest, but I feel a bit more confident in my skills now then I did at fifteen. That said, I am human, so errors should be expected. If you spot anything incredibly obvious don't hesitate to point it out in a RESPECTFUL manner.

Also as a treat and an apology I'm giving you two chapters tonight. So enjoy and see you (hopefully) next Sunday!